Category Archives: Prevention, Engagement and Care Cascade
Magnitude and characteristics of unsuppressed HIV viral load in children and adolescents on antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: HIV/AIDS remains a major health issue in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among children and adolescents, with a substantial proportion of people with HIV having unsuppressed viral loads despite the availability of...
Late diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its associated factors in Asian countries: A systematic review
Background: Despite widespread public health interventions and research on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), late diagnosis and presentation into care constitute serious challenges to effective prevention and control of the disease. Asia,...
Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections in transgender and non-binary people in Canada: A scoping review
In the 2021 census, 100,815 people in Canada aged 15 and older identified as transgender or non-binary. Globally, transgender people are disproportionately burdened by several Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections...
Knowledge, attitudes, and willingness of healthcare workers to offer pre-exposure prophylaxis in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Despite advancements in HIV prevention strategies, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), uptake remains suboptimal in high-burden regions like Africa. Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a pivotal role in PrEP implementation. This...
Morbidity and mortality risk among people with HIV and central or visceral adiposity: A targeted literature review
BACKGROUND: Given the known relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), antiretroviral therapies, and excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT), this review sought to characterize risk of negative health outcomes associated with...
Mental health interventions for young pepole living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
Introduction: Young people (aged 15-24) living with HIV/AIDS (YPLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experience higher rates of mental health conditions compared to their uninfected peers. Research and practitioners have expressed...
Effects of test-and-treat versus preexposure prophylaxis on elimination of HIV transmission: Analysis of 24 HIV prevention trials
INTRODUCTION: In 2023, 28.8 million (72%) of 39.9 million people with HIV (PWH) worldwide were on treatment with viral suppression, while 11.1 million (28%) people had viraemia with the risk...
Descriptions of risks and benefits of HIV vaccine trials in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs): An integrative review
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine trials are needed in efforts to prevent infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Like other types of research, HIV vaccine trials present benefits and risks...
Mapping the gut microbiota composition in the context of Raltegravir, dolutegravir, and bictegravir—A scoping review
(1) Background: Second-generation integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are now the preferred first-line therapies for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, concerns regarding their side effects, such as weight gain and...
Association between baseline HIV-1 DNA levels and clinical outcomes in people living with HIV: A meta-analysis of cohort studies
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effect of digital communication tools (e.g., text message reminders) on improving daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence. Searching PubMed, Embase, Web of...
Analysis of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on syphilis in susceptible populations: Me who have sex with men, people living with HIV, and patients with gestational and congenital syphilis—A narrative review
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a public health crisis that significantly impacted sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly syphilis. However, data on syphilis incidence during the pandemic remains inconsistent globally. Key groups...
Preexposure prophylaxis and intimate partner violence among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: A global scoping review of the literature
Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and are at an elevated risk of HIV acquisition. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective preventative measure against...
